- THE CHEMICAL INDUSTRY IN NORTHWEST EUROPE: LOCAL AND GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES, LILLE, TUESDAY 5 MAY 2026, 11.00-17.20 CET
The history of the chemical industry has long attracted scholarly attention and continues to do so today. This workshop, organised by Gabriel Galvez Behar and Joris Mercelis, reflects on the current state of the historiography, including its implications for other areas of research. Focusing on Northwest Europe and its connections to other regions, the workshop provides a forum to discuss works in progress and identify avenues for future research. Those interested in attending, either in person or virtually, are encouraged to register via this link:
Answer the survey – The Chemical Industry in Northwest Europe – Evento
2. SHAC ONLINE SEMINAR – JOHN OF RUPESCISSA’S THE BOOK OF THE LIGHT OF THE GREAT MAGISTERY: ALCHEMY, ANTICHRIST, AND IMPRISONMENT – THURSDAY, 28 MAY 2026
The next on-line seminar will be given by Professor Lawrence Principe (Johns Hopkins University). This will be live on Thursday, 28 May 2026, beginning at 5.00pm (London time). The format will be a talk of 20-30 minutes, followed by a moderated discussion of half an hour. To register please e-mail meetings@ambix.org with ‘SHAC on-line seminar’ in the subject line. You will then be sent a Zoom link on the morning of the seminar.
The seminar will be also accessible live on YouTube at:
Abstract:
Convinced that the antichrist was “at our gates,” the fourteenth-century Franciscan friar, alchemist, and prophet John of Rupescissa wrote The Book of the Light of the Great Magistery while imprisoned in papal Avignon. John’s goal was to provide a means for restoring a devastated post-antichrist Christendom using the philosophers’ stone, the substance able to transmute base metals into gold and silver. With this alchemical gold and silver, the true and faithful Franciscans, the “poor men of the Gospel,” could rebuild the Church and help usher in a millennium of peace and prosperity.
In this book launch seminar, Lawrence Principe will discuss the first critical edition, modern English translation, and focused study of John’s Book of the Light. The friar’s restored text, produced using both philological tools and laboratory reworkings, reveals John as an innovative thinker and practitioner whose ideas often oppose key features of Aristotelian natural philosophy, and requires a reassessment of the actual conditions of John’s long imprisonment.
Most previous on-line seminars can be found on the SHAC YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/SocietyforHistoryofAlchemyandChemistry
4. SHAC AWARD SCHEME 2026
Remember the deadline is 31 May 2026 and application forms have to be requested in advance from grants@ambix.org .SHAC offers two types of award: support for research into the history of chemistry or history of alchemy by both new and independent scholars and support for Subject Development of either history of chemistry or history of alchemy.
Information from: https://www.ambix.org/grants/
5. OXFORD SEMINARS IN THE HISTORY OF ALCHEMY AND CHEMISTRY – SPONSORED BY SHAC
A reminder that theses seminars take place in person only between 3 pm and 5 pm on 13 May, 20 May and 3 June 2026 at the Maison Française d’Oxford, 2-10 Norham Road, Oxford, OX2 6SE. All are welcome to attend. No prior registration required. For more information see: Spring 2026 Oxford Seminar in the History of Alchemy and Chemistry – Society for the History of Alchemy and Chemistry
Best regards
The SHAC Officer team